


Autumn Homecoming

by DiamondBlade



Series: Chiley Awakening [5]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Coming Out, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-17 03:10:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20613995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondBlade/pseuds/DiamondBlade
Summary: Riley invites Chase to his family's farm to introduce him to his mom and brother, with some unexpected pre-visit jitters. What would his mom say when she finds out that Riley's "lady friend" is actually Chase?





	1. Up with the Uneasiness

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1 of 2. This dates back to August 2015 as well, so later developments beyond the first half of Dino Charge haven't happened yet. As of the time of writing this, Kaylee wasn't a thing yet, and the Chase/Riley ship was still sailing strong.

“Hello?”

_“Riley! It’s so good to hear from you! Rubik misses you.”_

“Aw, Mom,” Riley said. “Does he sleep on my bed?”

_“He does! How are you doing?”_

“I’m over the moon. I’ve met someone, and I want to introduce you. Can we come down this weekend?”

_“That’s fantastic! Of course, you can come down! I’ll set up the guest room for you two.”_

“We don’t have a guest room, Mom. You mean, the barn out back?”

_“Well, with you being gone for so long, Matt moved into your old room, and we turned his room into our new guest room.”_

“Mom! His room is, like, the size of a linen closet.”

_“Why do you think he moved?”_

“His room isn’t big enough to hold two people.”

_“You don’t think you two will be in the same room, do you?”_

“Well, I –“

_“Absolutely not! When you’re in our house, you will sleep in the guest room, and your lady friend can sleep in the front room.”_

_“Lady friend,”_ thought Riley. _“Uh-oh.” _“You know what? That sounds good. I’ve got to go, Mom. The, um… Couch is on fire. Bye!” He ended the call abruptly. “Boy, are they going to be in for a surprise.”

_“Who’s going to be in for a surprise?”_ Chase asked, entering the room and putting his arms around Riley, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Are you planning something?”

“I called my mom, and told her that I met someone and want to introduce her. We’re going to my old farm this weekend.”

“That’s great!” Chase noticed Riley’s expression and let go, turning him around. “You don’t look happy about this. What’s wrong?”

“Well, she said that my ‘lady friend’ can sleep in the front room,” Riley explained. “She doesn’t know that I’m gay, and that you’re my boyfriend.”

“You didn’t tell her?” Chase asked. Riley shook his head. “Why not?”

“You don’t understand my upbringing. We’re a very religious family with old-school values. They believe that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, and that homosexuality is like worshipping the devil. Hearing her say ‘lady friend’ caught me off-guard. I made up a quick excuse and ended the call.” Riley could feel the tears welling up. “I just… I don’t know what to do.”

“Come here,” Chase said, pulling Riley in close. “Your family will accept you and whatever decisions you make in your life. Were they supportive of you basically running off to Amber Beach to, quote, do dinosaur research?” Riley shook his head. “Yet, they still talk to you, right?”

“Mm-hmm,” Riley said, nodding his head into Chase’s chest.

“Then, why wouldn’t they support you in your new relationship?”

“I… I don’t know. I just… I don’t want to disappoint them.”

“Look at me,” Chase spoke, lifting Riley’s head up and looking into his eyes. “You’ve got to admit: Out of the many people that you could have fallen for, you did make a good choice.” He noticed Riley starting to smile through the tears. “There’s that smile!”

Riley snickered. “Even when I’m feeling my worst, you still manage to make me smile.” He wiped the tears away with his sleeve. “I just hope that you can work this magic on my family.”

“I haven’t met a family yet that I couldn’t charm.” He looked down and kissed Riley gently on his forehead. “You should get some sleep. Try and relax. Don’t stress yourself out over this. Whatever happens happens.”

Riley sniffed. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I’m usually right. It’s in my job description. I’m going to go home. You get to bed. Don’t stay up all night. In fact, I’ll drive us up to your farm. I’ll pick you up after school tomorrow, and we’ll head out there.”

“What about packing?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Should I be concerned that you’re going to pack something dirty?” Chase grinned. “No chance. I’ll pack my own things.”

Chase sighed. “I suppose…”

Riley laughed. “Good night, Chase.”

“Bye, Ry,” Chase said. He walked out of his bedroom.

Riley watched through his window as Chase got into his car and drove away. He turned around and looked at himself in his mirror. “’Mom, this is Chase. He’s my boyfriend.’ No. ‘Mom, you remember hearing about my friend, Chase? Well, guess what? He’s my boyfriend!’ God, that’s even worse.” He heard his phone ring. He answered. “Hello?”

_“I told you not to stress over this weekend.”_

Riley looked around. “Do you have me under video surveillance, or something?”

_“No, I just know how you are. Now, get some sleep!”_

“Okay, I will. G’night!”

_“G’night, love. See you tomorrow afternoon.”_

Riley ended the call and set his phone on his nightstand. He looked at the mirror again, as if to keep practicing the inevitable introduction, then shook his head and started to get ready for bed.

~*~

> “Mom,” Riley said, walking through the front door of his house, “we’re here!”
> 
> “It’s good to see you!” She hugged him tightly, then opened her eyes and saw Chase standing by his car. “You brought Chase with you? I thought you were bringing your girlfriend.”
> 
> “That’s just it, Mom,” he explained, motioning for Chase to come up to him. “I have something to tell you.” He took a deep breath. “I’m in love with Chase. He’s my boyfriend. I’m gay.”
> 
> She shoved him back. “Get out of my house.” She slammed the door in his face.
> 
> “Mom?” Riley tried to open the door, but it was locked. He started banging on it. “Mom! Let me in!”
> 
> _“No son of mine can be that way!”_ She shouted from behind the door. _“Get off of my property, or I’m calling the police!”_
> 
> “Mom, please! Can’t we talk about this?” He pounded on the door some more. The tears were welling up in his eyes, and his voice was starting to get shaky. “Mom!”
> 
> “Ry, come on,” Chase said, reaching for his shoulder, “let’s go back home.”
> 
> _“You’d better listen to your boyfriend, little brother,”_ a familiar voice spoke. Riley looked over and saw Matt standing there, with a hunting rifle pointed right at him. “Mom said to get off our property. If I were you, I’d take her advice.”
> 
> “You’re insane. You know that?” Chase spoke up, moving in front of Riley. “You want Riley to move? Fine, but you have to go through me first.”
> 
> “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this,” Matt said, with a devilish grin forming on his face. He squeezed the trigger, and everything went white.

~*~

Riley sat straight up, covered in a cold sweat. He used his top sheet to wipe the sweat from his face, getting some in his eyes in the process. He wiped his eyes, trying to restore his vision. Shaking his head to try and dry his hair, he looked at his alarm clock, which read 10:27. He looked outside, and saw that it was still dark. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God, it was only a dream.” He reached for his phone, and saw that he had one new message from Chase. He slid the notification and entered his password, unlocking his phone. He looked at the message:

He shook his head, smiling. “How does he know me so well?” He typed a message back and sent it off, turning his phone off and going back to sleep…

~*~

The next day went like a blur. Torn between having to focus on his schoolwork and the impending meeting with his family – at which he’d come out to them and reveal that Chase was his boyfriend – the time just flew by. When the final bell rang, Riley ran to his locker and grabbed the couple of books that he’d need to do his homework, and then ran out of the school, where Chase was waiting for him. Riley stopped, noticing that Chase wasn’t driving his usual car. “Hey, hot shot! What’s that?”

Chase walked toward him. “That, my dear Ry, is a brand-new 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR, fully loaded with every bell and whistle that you can think of.”

Riley’s eyes widened at the sight of the amazing car that sat before him. “How much did that set you back?”

“Oh, it’s only a rental for the weekend,” Chase replied. “You don’t think I’d go into some $50,000 debt to impress your family, do you?”

“Well, I know the kind of impressions that you try to make on your love interests. Judging by some of your past efforts, I figured that you went out and bought this. By the way, speaking of love interests, did you ever settle that court case with Amanda over that vacation house you bought her in Cabo?”

“We’re not going to discuss HER or that _beautiful_ house that I never get to set foot in, despite being the sole owner on the deed, the mortgage, and the tax documents. She sleeps with one judge, and I’m basically out $400,000. … By the way, your family wouldn’t have an extra $400,000 lying around, would they?”

“No!”

He shrugged. “It was worth a shot. Hop in, and let’s go! I’ve got your stuff in the trunk.” Riley got in, followed by Chase. He turned on the satellite radio, and – as if on cue – “When I Think of You” started to play. “Alright, this is my jam!” He started dancing in his seat.

“Less dancing, and more driving, please,” Riley said.

“Yes, Miss Daisy,” Chase responded, tipping an imaginary chauffeur’s cap. “Will there be anything else, ma’am?”

“Very funny,” Riley sneered.

Chase pushed a couple of buttons, and the center console lit up with a musical chime. _“Hello, Chase,”_ a male voice spoke. _“How can I help you today?”_

“Directions to Randall Farm, please.”

_“Driving directions to 5225 Olde Pleasant Valley Road, Rancho Cucamonga, coming up!”_

Riley eyed the computer, then looked at Chase. “Friend of yours?”

“Isn’t it awesome?” Chase replied. “I just say whatever I want, and it does it! Try it out!”

“Console, play Divinyls.”

_“Right away, Riley.”_ Chase’s playlist popped up, and the console scrolled to the Divinyls. “I Touch Myself” started playing. Riley just stared in amazement. _“Chase, here are those directions. Shall I guide you, or would you prefer inaudible directions?”_

“Guide me, please.”

_“Confirmed. You will begin by pulling out of Amber Beach High School, turning left. In 2.5 miles, turn onto the I-95 South, toward Rancho Cucamonga.”_

“Thank you!”

_“You’re welcome, Chase. You and Riley, have a safe trip.”_

“Wow…” Riley was audibly stunned. In his head, he was dancing to the music.

The car pulled out of the school driveway, and the two boys were on their way to the farm.

~*~

Approximately an hour into their journey, the boys approached a sign for a Rest Plaza, which had some restaurants. Riley’s stomach growled. Chase briefly looked over. “You hungry, Ry?”

“A little,” Riley replied, staring out the window. His stomach growled even louder, prompting Riley to cross his arms around his waist. “A lot.”

“Ry, I’ve told you countless times that this weekend is going to go without a hitch. Your mom’s going to be proud of you for carving your own path, and she’ll probably compliment your taste in guys,” Chase said, wearing his trademark smile. Riley just kept looking out the window. “Wow, that didn’t get any response out of you. You must really be stressed about this.” Chase pulled the car off at the Rest Plaza and parked in a space right by the building. “Is there _anything_ that I can do to alleviate your stress?”

“Well, there is one thing that’s supposed to be a great stress reliever,” Riley replied, turning toward Chase and grinning. “I don’t know if you want to do it, though.”

“Whatever will make you happy, Ry, I’ll do it. What is it?”

~*~

... To Be Continued!


	2. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley and Chase make their way to the farm, confessing their pasts to each other on the way. Will Riley's family truly be accepting of him, or will he be shunned?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally one large story, and has been broken into two sections. If you recall, chapter one ended with Chase offering to relieve Riley's stress about going back home. What's the one thing Riley needs to relieve his tension? Read on...

“My mom used to give me a chocolate milkshake whenever I’d get anxious about something. It always seemed to work, but she had to stop when I topped 200 pounds. I haven’t had one in at least three years.”

“No way,” Chase said, stunned. “There’s no way that you used to be 200 pounds. You look fantastic!”

Riley pulled out his wallet and showed Chase his class photo from 8th Grade. “This is what I used to look like. Matt used to call me ‘Roll-y’ back then. Bastard could never gain weight at all. Meanwhile, I used to get food used to calm me down all the time. That’s why I wound up looking like this.”

“I’ll bet that you were the same Riley back then that you are now.”

“No. Besides this, I also played the tuba In the school band.”

Chase gasped. “You were a band geek?! That’s it. We have to end this relationship, right now.” He snickered. “Seriously, though, everyone goes through an awkward phase. Want to see how I used to look?”

Riley put his wallet away. “I’m sure _you_, the dashing Chase Randall, had an awkward phase.” Chase showed Riley a picture from his own wallet. “Oh, my…”

“Yeah, I decided that the ‘70s Farrah Fawcett ‘Charlie’s Angels’ hair was a good look, complete with blond highlights. Throw in those Coke-bottle-lens glasses that I had to wear, and it’s any wonder that I lived through my childhood.”

Riley looked at the picture, then to Chase, then back to the picture. “There’s no way that’s you. I mean, how do you go from the picture to, well, you now?”

“Contact lenses, a sensible stylist, and just building up my own self-confidence,” Chase explained. “My dad wouldn’t let me get down about my looks. He drilled into me that self-confidence is the most important thing there is. As he used to say, ‘who cares if people like you, if you don’t like yourself?’ Well, after years of having that drilled into my mind, it finally clicked one day. That’s when I got the contacts and had my mom take me to an actual salon, rather than the nearsighted guy that would spin a wheel and give me whatever look it landed on.”

“If you had so much self-confidence, then why did you ditch the glasses?”

“Oh, I still wear them around my own house. However, the girls liked me without them, so I decided to only wear them at home.”

“Doesn’t seem like an action of someone with a lot of self-confidence,” Riley commented. “If you were really confident, you’d wear them this weekend at the farm.”

“Well, I would, but they’re at home…“ He saw Riley pull them out of his pants pocket. “How did you get those?”

“You’re not the only one with a key to the other’s house,” Riley said, smiling. “So, Mr. Confidence, do we have a deal?”

“Give me those!” Chase tried to grab them out of Riley’s hand, but he pulled back, causing Chase to fall onto him.

“Not so fast. Do we have a deal?”

Chase sat back and fixed his shirt. “Yes…”

“Good. You can have your nerd-glasses back.” Riley handed them to Chase, who grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward him.

“Don’t ever call these ‘nerd-glasses’ again.” He gave Riley a quick kiss. “Now that you’re in a better mood, what would you like?”

Smiling, Riley replied, “I’m feeling like a Coke.”

“Oh, you’re straight comedy, Ry.”

~*~

Riley was looking out the window. The scenery got more and more rural as they approached his family’s farm. With each passing mile, Riley’s anxiety about telling his family that he’s gay and dating Chase grew, despite Chase’s continued efforts to make him relax.

_“Destination on the left in one-half mile,”_ the console spoke. Riley gulped.

“Thank you, computer. That will be all,” Chase spoke.

_“Goodbye!”_

“I’ve told you countless times that you’re going to be fine. I don’t know why you don’t listen to me. How often have I been wrong in the past?” Chase looked over at Riley, who met him with a look of disbelief. “Okay, don’t answer that, but, trust me, everything is going to be alright.”

“I hope you’re right.” Riley sighed.

“I’d better be, because we’re here,” Chase said.

“Eep!”

~*~

Chase pulled into the driveway. Rubik came running out, through his doggie-door, into the driveway, barking at the unfamiliar vehicle. He was followed by an axe-wielding Matt. Riley opened the door and got out, picking his dog up and receiving plenty of kisses from the animal. “Okay, Rubik! You can stop anytime now!” He hugged his dog and rustled his fur. He looked up and saw Matt with the axe. “Um… What’s with the axe, bro?”

“I’m going to kill you,” Matt replied in a demonic voice. Riley started to sweat. Matt laughed. “I’m kidding! I was out back chopping firewood. Since you left to go to ‘the big city,’ I inherited all of your chores. Thanks for that, by the way. It’s good to see that city life hasn’t given you a sense of humor.”

Riley sighed. “I’m just nervous about coming back home.”

“Why’s that?” He watched as Chase got out of the car. He looked at Chase, then back at Riley. “I thought Mom said you were bringing your girlfriend home with you.” He looked in the back seat. “What? Do you guys have her in the trunk? Isn’t that sort of thing, y’know, illegal?”

“Matt,” Riley spoke, “I have something that I need to tell you. This has been giving me anxiety for the past few days, so I’m just going to come out and say it. Matt… I’m gay, and Chase is my boyfriend.”

He looked at the two of them. By this point, Chase had made his way around the car and stood at the headlights, away from the brothers. After a bit, he smiled. “Thank goodness!”

“Look, I know that our family doesn’t necessarily –“ Riley comprehended what Matt had said. “Excuse me? Did you just say, ‘thank goodness’?”

“Yeah! After your string of girlfriends before you went off to the big city, I started to wonder if you were gay and trying to hide it, or if you just had terrible taste in girls!”

“Oh, really?” Chase asked, his interest piqued by what Matt had said. “Riley was a player?”

“We don’t need to talk about this,” Riley interrupted.

“Little Riley here wasn’t so much a player, as someone with TERRIBLE taste in girls. First, there was Anastasia. She had one tooth… Literally, one tooth. Then, there was Bucktooth Becky, who – while she did have all of her teeth – had SUCH an overbite. I wondered if she could open cans with her front teeth!” Chase started laughing, and Riley started to turn red with embarrassment. “THEN, there was Monica. She was a vegan. She only lasted two days, because Riley ate a cheeseburger in front of her. Girl about had a heart attack as he took the first bite. It was GREAT!”

“You know, you’re really not helping my self-confidence here, Matt.”

“I’m sorry, Riley. Seriously, though, things have changed around here since you’ve been gone.” Matt paused. “Wait… Have you been stressing about this since you called?” Riley nodded, as did Chase, who added a silent ‘oh, yeah.’ “Riley, Mom is going to love you, no matter what. She hasn’t stopped loving you when you ran off to study dinosaurs, has she?” Riley shook his head. “So, why would your happiness make her unhappy?”

“He’s been a bit stressed all week,” Chase added. “I tried to calm him down, but nothing worked.”

“Not even chocolate milkshakes?”

“I didn’t want to get back in that habit of eating my feelings,” Riley spoke.

“Understandable,” Matt commented, “but, seriously, you can’t let this get to you. It’s not good for your health.” He looked back at the house. “She’s inside, if you want to go in first. I can bring Chase in when you’re ready. Would that be easier?”

Chase looked at Riley. “This is it. Are you ready?”

Riley took a deep breath. “I suppose.”

Riley opened the door and walked into the entryway of the house, removing his shoes. Rubik followed him in. Outside, Matt turned to Chase. “Now, I want you to know something, City Boy.” 

“Shoot,” Chase said. 

“If you ever decide to hurt my little brother in any way, I’ll see to it that I personally rip every appendage from your body, starting with your dick. Got it?” 

Chase quickly looked down, and then back to Matt. “I’m not going to hurt him. We’re in love.” 

“Good.” Matt motioned toward the barn. “I’ve got a LOT of farm equipment, and many things can be used as weapons. You hurt Riley, and you’ll be feed for the animals. Understood?” Chase nodded. Matt smiled. 

~*~ 

Back inside, Riley walked into the kitchen, where his mother was seated with another woman. Riley rubbed his eyes, shocked to see this other woman. “Grandma Iola?” 

“Riley, dear! Come and give your grandma a big ol’ hug!” Riley walked to where she was sitting and gave her a hug, getting a kiss on the cheek in return. “Look at how much you’ve grown! Why, I remember when you used to be knee-high to a junebug!” 

“Aw, Grandma,” Riley said, blushing. 

“Mom, Riley brought someone special home with him this weekend.” 

“About that, Mom,” Riley interrupted, “there’s something that I have to tell you. You see…” 

“Now, Riley, it’s rude to interrupt your mother when she’s talking,” Iola spoke, turning toward her daughter. “Go on, Constance.” 

“But, Grandma, this is _really_ important.” He swallowed and decided to just blurt it out. _“There’s no point in delaying it any longer.”_ “I didn’t bring home a girl. I brought home –“ 

“Chase, that nice boy out front with Matthew,” Constance said, finishing Riley’s sentence. “I know about you two.” 

Riley’s eyes widened, caught by surprise. “I… You do? How?” 

“A mother knows everything, son, and I’m very happy for you.” She stood up and walked over to Riley, giving him a hug. “I could sense in our conversation that something was off when I said ‘lady friend.’ In your traditional Riley way, you made up an excuse and ended the call as quickly as possible. Clearly, I’d made a misstep in assuming that you had a girl to bring home.” 

“And, judging by the car that you two rolled up in,” Iola continued, “you clearly have good taste in men. Much better than your mother, I might add.” 

“Mom!” Constance exclaimed. “That’s enough!” 

“Besides, you remember your Goth phase when you dated that Morosia girl, don’t you?” Riley nodded. “Yeah, you did a lot of stupid things for girls.” 

“Grandma!” Riley shouted. 

“I tell it like it is. That’s one of the benefits of getting old.” She smiled. “Besides, these are different times than when I grew up. Back then, if you were homosexual, they’d drown you in the river and, if you survived that, they’d burn you.” 

“Mom…” 

“I think that was the Salem Witch Trials. That’s how they determined if you were a witch.” 

“Really? Hm, that explains why that branch of my family tree stops at 1692.” 

“Riley, dear,” Constance spoke, “has this been weighing on your mind at all?” 

“No.” She looked him in the eyes, instantly breaking down his defense. “Yes. I’ve barely been able to sleep at all this week.” 

“Why? Were you afraid that we’d do horrible things to you because of who you are? Riley, we’re not like that. I’m your mother. It’s in the Parental Code to love their children unconditionally. I might not necessarily agree with your life choices – like, running off to study dinosaurs in the city – but you’re clearly in good hands with your new group of friends. Heck, you’ve discovered something about yourself that solves one of the greatest mysteries of your teen years!” 

Riley looked at her, confused. “What’s this ‘greatest mystery’ that you’re talking about?” 

_“Georgia, that girl that loved peaches, and that Halloween when you two dressed as peaches, mate,”_ Chase said, entering the room, followed by Matt. He put his arm around his boyfriend. “You’re lucky to have met me.” He put his glasses on. “Even though I have to wear these, at least I don’t make you change who you are.” 

“Aww…” Everyone turned toward Grandma Iola. “Oh, sorry. Did I ruin the moment?” 

“Who is this young lady? Mrs. Griffin, you didn’t tell me that you had a sister!” Chase walked over to Iola, knelt down, and kissed her hand. “I’m Chase, and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” 

She giggled. “Nobody’s done that for me since that time when Grandpa took me to that Renaissance Faire back in the ‘80s. He wound up having knee surgery afterward. Poor dear couldn’t get back up!” 

Chase walked back over to Riley. “Have I passed the test?” Constance and Iola nodded. He looked at Riley. “You see? Nothing to be afraid of.” 

“Well, there is _one_ thing to be afraid of,” Matt spoke up. He handed Riley a tube of lotion. “You two can lotion up Grandma’s feet tonight and massage them!” 

“These dogs are howlin’ today!” Iola lifted her legs up, looking at her feet. “Whoo, ol’ Lefty’s _really_ barkin’! Who wants which one?” 

Chase and Riley turned toward each other. “You’re getting the left one.”

~*~

THE END!


End file.
